The HAWC Gamma-ray Observatory has released a new survey of the sky made from the highest energy gamma rays ever observed, revealing new high-energy sources within our own Milky Way galaxy. The observatory has also provided more detail on known sources, offering a deeper understanding of high-energy processes taking place in our galaxy...
Astronomers have discovered a record-breaking supermassive black hole weighing 17 billion suns in the center of a galaxy in a sparsely populated area of the universe. The massive object's size defies expectations, as it is 10 times more massive than predicted for a galaxy of its mass.
Researchers found a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 17 billion solar masses in the galaxy NGC 1600, located 200 million light-years from Earth. This discovery suggests that these massive objects may be more common than previously thought and could be living in smaller galaxies.
Astronomers discover that the 'afterglow' of a fast radio burst was actually a persistent radio source from a supermassive black hole. The discovery resolves the mystery of the black hole's behavior, which varies randomly due to scintillation and changes in matter consumption.
Astronomers used Hubble to study the Milky Way's nuclear star cluster, discovering a rich tapestry of over half a million stars. The cluster surrounds the galaxy's central supermassive black hole and offers insights into its formation.
A team of researchers, led by UC Riverside graduate student Irene Shivaei, used a combination of near-infrared spectrometer and infrared images to study 17 bright distant galaxies. They compared various observables, including ultraviolet light, infrared light, and nebular emission lines, to estimate the star-formation rate. The study i...
Astronomers discovered a tiny, ancient galaxy that contains seven stars with heavy elements formed through rapid neutron captures, a process more common in rare cosmic collisions. The findings suggest that the heaviest elements on Earth originated in neutron star mergers.
The team has shattered the cosmic distance record by measuring GN-z11, a surprisingly bright infant galaxy seen as it was 400 million years after the Big Bang. The observations reveal that GN-z11 is growing fast, forming stars at a rate about 20 times greater than our galaxy does today.
Astronomers have found a massive tail of hydrogen gas extending from a nearby galaxy, measuring five times longer than the galaxy itself. The discovery suggests that this phenomenon is common in galaxy clusters, and could be indicative of many other galaxies having similar features.
ASTRO-H will observe X-ray sources like galaxy clusters and neutron stars up to 10 times fainter than its predecessor Suzaku. The observatory uses four co-aligned focusing X-ray telescopes and cutting-edge instruments to provide simultaneous coverage across its entire energy range.
Astronomers studied the ionized gas outflow from NGC 6240, a starburst galaxy driven by intense star-forming activity. They found complex structures in the H-alpha nebula, including large 'broken bubbles' and evidence of past superwinds.
The Smith Cloud, a massive cloud of hydrogen gas, is plummeting towards the Milky Way at nearly 700,000 miles per hour. Astronomers believe it will ignite a spectacular burst of star formation upon impact, potentially providing enough gas to create 2 million suns.
A study published in Physical Review Letters shows that a galaxy cluster's formation history plays a role in its interaction with the surrounding dark matter halo. The researchers found that clusters formed from more dispersed galaxies were clumpier and interacted differently with their environment.
Researchers found that galaxy clusters' surroundings are shaped by their formation history, not just their mass. The study used gravitational lensing to confirm the connection between cluster mass and dark matter environment.
Astronomers discover invisible structures shaped like noodles or hazelnuts, which could radically change ideas about interstellar gas. The shapes were estimated using innovative new technique and observations of a quasar lensing event.
Astronomers have discovered a highly turbulent galaxy that may soon lose its supply of star-forming gas due to violent motion. The galaxy, W2246-0526, is an obscured quasar with a supermassive black hole at its center, causing intense radiation that exerts pressure on the entire galaxy.
Researchers used ALMA to study W2246-0526, the most luminous galaxy known, finding it's ejecting its star-forming gas due to intense infrared radiation. This turbulence could lead to the galaxy evolving into a traditional quasar.
Astronomers have detected a massive galaxy cluster, IDCS J1426.5+3508, 10 billion light years from Earth, formed just 3.8 billion years after the Big Bang. The cluster is about 1,000 times more massive than the Milky Way and is undergoing significant upheaval.
A new method of galactoseismology has confirmed the existence of a dark-matter dominated dwarf galaxy and may help locate satellite galaxies. The method uses waves in the galactic disk to map the interior structure and mass of galaxies, offering a fresh perspective on understanding dark matter.
A UTSA-led team detected a powerful galactic blast from a nearby supermassive black hole using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. The research found that the black hole's outbursts have impacted the surrounding galaxy, triggering the formation of new stars and affecting the climate.
The FORTIS sounding rocket will study the properties of galaxy NGC 1365, also known as the Great Barred Spiral Galaxy. Scientists aim to quantify how much material is flowing in and out of the galaxy by analyzing light emitted and absorbed by different types of hydrogen.
Researchers detected gamma rays from a rare blazar galaxy, PKS 1441+25, 7.6 billion light-years away, setting new bounds on the extragalactic background light. The observations provide clues to the production of high-energy gamma rays and their interaction with the surrounding environment.
The VERITAS telescope detected powerful gamma rays from a distant galaxy, PKS 1441+25, revealing details about the black hole engine at its center. The gamma-ray emission was found to be located within the relativistic jet, but surprisingly far from the black hole, and is estimated to be around 5 light-years away.
Astronomers observed gamma rays from PKS 1441+25, a blazar galaxy 7 billion years away. The high-energy light revealed a single region far from the power source, contradicting previous assumptions.
Astronomers discovered the faintest object ever seen in the early universe, dubbed Tayna, with NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes. This small, dim galaxy is thought to be a key to understanding the formation and evolution of the first galaxies.
Astronomer Evan Kirby measures high concentration of dark matter in small dwarf galaxy Triangulum II, potentially making it a leading candidate for direct detection. The galaxy's unique characteristics and minimal background noise make it an ideal location to search for gamma-ray signals from colliding dark matter particles.
Researchers have discovered thousands of stellar pulses in the galaxy Messier 87 (M87), providing a new method for calculating a galaxy's age. The pulsations are caused by bright, pulsating stars that were previously unknown to affect distant galaxies' light.
Researchers at Yale and Harvard have found a galaxy with a heartbeat, detecting the effects of pulsating older red stars on its light. The mean pulse of the stars in M87 is about one beat every 270 days.
Researchers developed a machine-learning simulation system to create accurate galaxy models, reducing computational time. The method uses algorithms to approximate properties from rare simulations, producing nearly identical galaxy distributions.
Researchers identified ancient stars in the Milky Way's center with extremely low metal content, suggesting they formed in the early universe. These stars contain chemical fingerprints indicating possible hypernova deaths, which could aid understanding of the Universe's evolution over billions of years.
Researchers have discovered a dying giant radio galaxy 9 billion light years away, offering insights into the properties of magnetic fields in the distant universe. The galaxy's radio lobes are fading due to energy loss through radio wave emission and inverse Compton scattering.
Astronomers use Hubble Space Telescope to uncover blueprints of Milky Way's early construction phase, revealing the history of stars that existed 12 billion years ago. The study suggests the galaxy's bulge formed first and its stellar inhabitants were born quickly, with the rest of the galaxy growing more slowly.
A new survey using Japan's Suzaku X-ray satellite reveals that the elements necessary for stars, planets, and people were evenly distributed across the Virgo galaxy cluster at a scale of millions of light-years. This discovery suggests that the chemical makeup of the universe is well mixed, with little variation on the largest scales.
Researchers found a distant galaxy cluster producing over 800 solar masses of new stars annually, significantly higher than our Milky Way. The discovery reveals a rare 'wet merger' event where a gas-rich spiral galaxy collides with the massive cluster's central galaxy.
Researchers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to locate compact regions within the nearby dwarf irregular galaxy Wolf--Lundmark--Melotte that can emulate larger galaxies' star-forming environments. These discoveries shed light on how dense star clusters can form in low-density, gas-poor galaxies.
A recent study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society found that trained volunteers can identify jets shooting from massive black holes and match them to their host galaxies with high accuracy. The project, Radio Galaxy Zoo, uses online tutorials to teach volunteers how to spot black holes and other objects emit...
A team of Caltech researchers detects a galaxy called EGS8p7, which is more than 13.2 billion years old, making it the farthest galaxy ever found. The detection challenges our understanding of the universe's evolution, particularly reionization.
Astronomers have found a similar percentage of newborn stars with specific masses in young clusters of the Andromeda galaxy compared to our own. This study, utilizing Hubble images and citizen scientist contributions, helps interpret distant galaxy light and understand star formation history.
A newly discovered dwarf galaxy is radiating high-energy gamma rays, potentially pointing to the presence of dark matter. The detection was made using publicly available data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and has sparked excitement in the scientific community.
Astronomers have discovered a self-regulating cycle between black holes, jets, and newborn stars in giant elliptical galaxies. The process, observed using Hubble Space Telescope data, controls the rate of star formation by heating and cooling gas halos around these galaxies.
A team of Caltech astronomers has discovered a giant swirling disk of gas 10 billion light-years away, which is actively being fed cool primordial gas tracing back to the Big Bang. The finding provides the strongest observational support yet for the cold-flow model of galaxy formation.
Astronomers using the Subaru Telescope's Hyper Suprime-Cam camera observed deep, super-wide-field images of the galaxies and their populations of young stars. The team discovered that the spatial distribution of young stars around these galaxies follows closely that of their distribution of neutral hydrogen.
Researchers at the University of York have revealed a new understanding of nucleosynthesis in stars, providing insight into massive star evolution and the origins of the Solar System. By studying radioactive aluminium production, scientists can now better understand gamma radiation maps of the galaxy and simulate star behavior.
A study of over 20,000 merging galaxies found that when two galaxies collide, the larger one can stop the smaller one from forming new stars. However, when two galaxies of similar mass collide, they both increase their stellar birth rate.
Astronomers observed a record-setting flare from the blazar galaxy 3C 279, which became four times brighter than the brightest persistent source in the gamma-ray sky. The rapid fading of the flare was detected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and other satellites.
Astronomers have found a super-sized black hole in the early universe that grew faster than its host galaxy, challenging previous observations. The massive black hole, measuring 7 billion solar masses, is located in galaxy CID-947 and has a mass similar to that of a typical galaxy.
A team of researchers discovered a massive black hole with nearly 7 billion solar masses in an otherwise normal, distant galaxy called CID-947. The finding contradicts previous theories on the co-evolution of galaxies and their central black holes.
The study reveals a helically-twisted loop of magnetic field coiled around the galaxy's main spiral arm, affecting gas flow and star production. The discovery helps explain how galactic spiral arms are formed, resolving major questions about galaxy evolution.
Astronomers using ALMA measured the mass of a supermassive black hole at the center of NGC 1097, a barred spiral galaxy 45 million light-years away. The black hole was found to be 140 million times more massive than our Sun.
A team of astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope discovered the brightest galaxy yet found in the early universe. The galaxy, CR7, contains massive blue stars - the first generation of stars that forged the heavy elements necessary for life.
The detection of a supermassive black hole at the center of Messier 32, a satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy, reveals a 'quiescent' black hole with activity among the weakest yet found. The VLA's improved sensitivity allowed for the detection of radio emission from the black hole, which is roughly 90 times fainter than previous studies.
NGC 6503, a 30,000-light-year-long galaxy, is located at the edge of the 150-million-light-year-wide Local Void. The Hubble Space Telescope image showcases its vibrant colors and swirling spiral arms.
A team of astronomers has discovered a massive star cluster in the NGC 5253 dwarf galaxy, containing over 7,000 massive O-type stars. The cluster, dubbed Cloud D, is incredibly efficient at forming stars and creating dust, with a gas cloud rate that is ten times greater than in our own Milky Way.
Researchers use ALMA to image massive galaxy SDP.81, located 11.7 billion light-years away, and reveal its inner structure, including giant molecular clouds and supermassive black hole at center of foreground galaxy.
Astronomers have captured the most detailed view of star formation in a distant galaxy using ALMA's Long Baseline Campaign. The observations reveal giant versions of the Orion Nebula producing thousands of new stars, with clumps of star formation visible down to 200 light-years.
A team of astronomers discovered a spiral galaxy devouring a nearby compact dwarf galaxy and found remnants of previous galactic snacks. The study used ground and space-based telescopes to measure chemical enrichment in the gas across the entire face of NGC 1512.
Researchers at Yale University and the University of California-Santa Cruz have detected an exceptionally luminous galaxy more than 13 billion years in the past, EGS-zs8-1. The galaxy is one of the brightest and most massive objects in the early universe, with a mass equivalent to over 15% of our Milky Way.
Researchers identified 200 previously unknown compact elliptical galaxies using public archives of data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the GALEX satellite. Of these, 11 isolated compact galaxies were found moving faster than their cluster counterparts
Researchers found nearly 200 compact elliptical galaxies, including 11 isolated ones, which were formed when a massive galaxy stripped away the core of a smaller one. These galaxies can escape their host clusters due to gravitational perturbations, helping them survive for about a billion years.
Researchers have found conclusive evidence of a black hole in Henize 2-10, a small, starburst galaxy. The team analyzed X-ray observations from four space telescopes over 13 years, confirming the presence of a supermassive black hole with a mass one million times that of the sun.